A compact that spells out the rules for a 305-acre tribal casino and resort project by the North Fork Mono Rancheria Indians along Highway 99 near Madera was approved Thursday by the California Senate. Senate support now leaves the governor, who already supports the tribal compact, and the U.S. Department of Interior in Washington, D.C., as the last two steps before groundbreaking near Highway 99 and Avenue 18. But lawsuits by some Madera residents, as well as several tribes, including the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, also are looming. The Senate vote Thursday was 22-11. Station Casinos, a major Las…

Red Hawk Casino, underperforming since the day it opened and struggling to pay its bills, moved a step closer Thursday toward gaining financial relief. Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a new gambling compact that reduces the revenue the state will collect from Red Hawk and its owner, the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians. Brown signed AB 1267 by Assemblyman Isadore Hall, D-Compton, which ratified the new compact the governor signed with the tribe last November. Despite the governor’s signature, the Shingle Springs casino isn’t out of financial trouble yet. The tribe has to restructure $500 million in debt…